CRITICAL BOOK REPORT

“AN OUTLINE OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY”

OLEH:

MUHAMMAD AFIF AMMAR LUBIS

NIM : 3161131027

KELAS : C REGULER

PENDIDIKAN GEOGRAFI
FAKULTAS ILMU SOSIAL
UNIVERSITAS NEGERI MEDAN
2017
 DAFTAR ISI

DAFTAR ISI.................................................................................................................. 2
BAB I............................................................................................................................. 3
1.1 Ringkasa Ini Buku.................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Keunggulan.............................................................................................................. 7
1.3 Kelemahan............................................................................................................... 7
BAB II............................................................................................................................ 9
2.1 Implikasi.................................................................................................................. 9
2.2 Kesimpulan.............................................................................................................. 9
2.3 Saran........................................................................................................................ 9
2.4 Kepustakaan............................................................................................................. 9

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 BAB I

1.1 Ringkasan Isi Buku

THE FACE OF THE LAND

On a topographic map of the United States the mountains look like a jagged masses,
the plains like vast open flat spaces, and the river’s like meandering thread’s. Today,
highways, railways and transcontinental aircraft criss-cross the land, making travel easy. But
only a few generation’s ago, the topographic features on the map represented great danger’s
and difficulties. Today’s visitor, riding over a good road in the Cascade Mountains in the
west coast States of Oregon and Washington, may see marks on the rocks made by ropes
where pioneer settlers painfully lowered their horses and wagons down cliffs to reach the
fertile river valley far below. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, the main route
now runs through a mountain pass which was once toonarrow for a wagon to go through.
Pioneer families reaching that pass had to take their wagons apart piece by piece, caryy them
through, and the reassemble them on the other side.

Modern meansof communication and transportation have enabled man to overcome

these obstacle. Ples and wire now carry electrical power and telephone communication over
ridges that are so depp in snow that only persons wearing snowshoes or skis can reach them.
Railroads run along the sides of mountains or in the tunnels through them. Bridges have been
built over valleys and rivers. Highways run through the burning heat of desert.

Much of the geography and history of the United States was determined some 10,000
– 25,000 years ago. At that time, the great northern ice cap flowed over the North American
continent and ground into it a number of major changes. These ice flows determined the size
and drainage of the Great Lakes. They changed the direction of the Missouri River (see map
on page 36) and carved the channel of the Hudson river (see map on page 22). The pushed
soil of a huge part of Canada into the United States, those creating the Northern part of the
central agricultural basin – one of the richest farming areas in the world on the atlantic shore
of the United States, much of the Northern coast is rocky and uninfiting, but the middle and
southern atlantic coast rises gently from the sea. It starts as low, wet drown and sundy flats,
but then becomes a rolling coastal lowland some what like that of northern and western
europe. The a palacian, which run rockly paralel to the east coast, are old mountain with
money coal – rich valley beetwin them. To the west of the a palacians lie plateaus built up
over the centuries from bits of stone that were washed down from the mountain and them cut
into small hills by stream. Beyond is the great central lowland which, in its configuration,
resembles the plain of eastern europe, or manchuria, or the great plain of Australia, or certain
plain in africa of south america.

North of the central lowland, extending for almost 1,600 KM , are the five great lakes
which the United States shares with Canada. The lakes, estimated the content about half of
the wall is fresh water, where gowget out of the land by the ice that once covered the
Northern United States.

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 West of the central lowland are the great plain, likened to the flat top of table which is
like slighty tilted upward to the West. They are stopped by the rocky mountain, “the
backbond of the continent.” The rockies are considered young mountain : of the same age as
the alps in Europe, the Himalayas in Asia, and the Andes in south America. Like these
ranges, they are high, rough and irregular in shape.

At first sight, the land west of the rockies appears to be tumbled masses of mountain.
Actually, however, it is made up of quite distinct and separate region, shaped by different
geological event. One region was farmed of material which washed down from the rockies
and preset into rock. This now and compasses the high Colorado plateau, in which in Grand
Canyon of Colorado river is cut, 1.6KM in depth. But another region, the high Colombia
table land to the north, was created in much the same way as the great deccant plateau of
India : lava poured from inside the earth, burying old mountain and filling valley to the depth
of thousand of meter.

Volcanoes also built cascade Mountains. The sierra nevada range and the ridges of the
great basin, on the other hand, where format when a strained fortion of the earths crust broke
into high tilted blocks of rock. At the border of the pacific ocean lie the coast ranges,
relatively low mountains, in a region where occasional earthquakes show that the process of
mountain – building has not yet stopped.

THE RAINFALL

In the Northern Hemisphere, the western portions of continents are especialy favored
by the prevailing winds. This is because the werstern lands gather the rains as they come off
the ocean,blown by storms that circel from west to east.

Unfortunately, the Cascade montains and the sierra nevada montains, so close to the
west coast, catch the largesth share of the rain off the pacific ocean before it can go further
inland. As a result, there is too little rain for almost the whole western half of the united
states, which lies in the “ rain shadow” of the montains. In a great part of that territory,
therefore, farmers must depend on irrigation water from the snows or rains that are trapped by
the montains.

One of the most importand geographic boundaries in the united states in the 50-
centimeter railfall line, which runs north and south almost trought the middle of thr country.
East of the line, farming is relatively easy, and the population is relatively large. West of the
line, one finds man- made irrigation systerms, dry-farming, grazing, and fewer people. West
of the rocky montains, running all the way from the canadian border to mexiko, there are vast
areast where almost no trees grow. In this section of thr country are the deserts which recieve
as little as 12.7 centimeters of rainfall a year. Yet, west of the sierra nevada montains, there
are place in which 250 centimeters of rain falls anually.

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 THE RIVERS

The mississippi is one of the world’s great continental rivers, like the amazon in south
america, the congo in africa, the volga in europe, or the gangers, amur, and yangtze in asia.
Its watersvare gathered from two-thirds of the united states and, together with the missouri (
its chief western branch), the mississippi flows some 6,400 kilometers from its northern
sources in the rocky mountains to the gulf of mexico, which makes it one of the world’s
longest waterways.

The mississippi has been called the “father of waters.” Trought all its lower course, it
wanders along, appearing lazy and harmless. But people who know the river are not deceived
by its floods. Finally, they had to learn that nothing was to be gained by fighting against the
rages of the mighty stream. To tame it, americans have had to accept some of the river’s own
terms and to undertake the patient work of conserving and rebuilding soil, grasslands and
forest, far back to where the waters begin to gather.

Where the missouri pours into the mississippi from the west, it colors the river deep
brown with small pieces of soil. Father downstream, where the clear waters of the principal
eastern tributary, the ohio, join the mississippi, evidence of the difference between the dry
west and rainy east becomes apparent. For kilometers, the waters of the two rivers flow on
side by side, without mixing. Those from the west are brown; they have robbed the soil in
areas of sparse vegetation. The waters from the east are clear and blue; they come from hills
and valleys where plentiful forest and plant cover has kept the soil from being washed away.

Like hte mississippi, all the rivers east of the rockies finally reach the atlantic; all the
waters to the waters to the west of the rockies finally arrive at the pacific. For this reason the
crest of the rocky mountains are known as the continental devide. There are many places in
the rockies where are visitor may throw two snowballs in opposite direction and know that
each will feed a different ocean.

The two great rivers of the pacific side are the colorado in the south, and the
columbia, which rises in canada and drains the nort. In the dry western country, both rivers,
very different in character, are vital sources of life. The columbia, wild in prehistoric time,
cutting and shaping the land, now flows with quiet dignity. But the colorado is still a river of
enormous fury—wild, restless and angry. It races and plunges, cutting deeply into the desert
rocks. But even the furious colorado has been dammed and put to work. All the farms and
cities of the southwestern corner of the country depend on its waters.

The rio grande, about 3,200 kilometers long, is the foremost river of the southwest. It
froms a natural boundary between mexico and the united states, which together have built
irrigation and flood control projects of mutual benefit.

THE TEMPERATURE

If there were no montains or oceans, and if the winds circled the earth with perfect
regularity, then the amount of heat and the legth of the farmer’s growing season would

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progress uniformly from north to south. Instead, there are all kinds of unexpected differences
in climate, as terperature maps of the united states show (see opposite page). For instance, all
along the western coast, the temperature changes little between winter and summer. In some
places, the average difference between july and january is as little as 10 degrees centigrade.
The climate along the northern part of this coast is similar to thet of england. But it the north
central part of the country, summer and winter are worlds apart. There the average difference
between july and january is 36 degrees centigrade and more violent extremes are common.
The coldest days of a typical january may be-40 degrees centigrade, and the hottest july day
may be 45 degrees. This is the sort of climate that is also found in central asia, far from the
moderating influence of the oceans. In the eastern part of the united states, the difference
between summer and winter is also very distinct, but not nearly so extreme. Near the
soutwestern corner of the country, the climate is mild and springlike in winter, but in summer
the temperature may reach equatorial intensity. In alaska, almost continuous daylight in
summer makes the short growing season an intense one.

The variations in temperature within the united states have had a marked effect on the
country’s economy and living standards. As the growing season map on page 13 shows, there
is a long crop-growing season along the south-east coast where cotton is a principal product.
This is also true in several small trips and pockets to the west where crops like grapes grow
well during a large part of the year. In some of the cooler climates or in climates which
combine coolness and humidity, animals and produce such as apples, wheat and corn thrive,
trus giving the united states a large range of agricultural products.

These variations, combined with a fast transportation system, have meant that there
can be arapid interchange of agricultural products from one part of the country to another.
Thus, not only is there a greater market for what otherwise would have been strictly regional
products, but this expansion of markets has meant great employment opportunities in all
areas.

THE PLANT LIFE

When early voyagers approached the land thet is now the united states, they noticed a
sweet and surprising “land smell” a clue that they were near the shore. This “land smell”
came from the great, thick forest that covered all the eastern part of the country and stretched
about 1,600 kilometers westmard until it met the tall grass of the prairies.

No one knows hust why the woods anded where they did, of way the tall grass of the
prairies---the wide rolling and almost treeless plains---began at the point. The reson still
remains shrouded in mystery, for the eastern part of the prairies’ tall grasslands have soil that
will support tree life. One explanation has it that the indians burned off the forest in order to
force game animals out to the hunters. Another reason given is that perhaps some early
spesial conditions of soil and rainfall were responsible. This has been accepted as a more
plausible explanation, but nobody really knows. Nevertheless, the early settlers wrote thet the
prairie grass was very beautyful, interlaced with flowers in the spring, and so tall that a man
on foot could not seeover it.

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 It is clear why the tall grass became short grass father west---lack of rainfall. The
transition line roughly follows the important 50-centimeter rainfall line discussed earlier.

Still father west, the vegetation map looks quite mixed.forests cover the slopes where
mountain catch enought rain. A few favored grassy meadows lie in the hight montain valleys.
On the dry lowland---and on hight tablelands---dry, harsh bushes grow; so do kinds of grass
common to arid regions, with places here and there too dry or too full of salt for even this
poor desert growth.

The greatest wonder of all are the forest of sequoia and fir trees on the northwest
coast, where mountain catch the heavy pacific rain. These great trees, some of which are
3,000 Y.O, are among the largest and oldest living things known. Some where seedlings
when troyfell, and already giants when rome was founded. The silent forest are filled with
columns of great trunks lighted dimly by sun filtered through leaves far above. Most of these
forest are protected by law and reserved as a National Treasure.

THE POPULATION

When the first sensus was taken in 1.790, much of the country had not even been
explored, and much of it didn’t belong the the United States, but to France and Spain. The “
western settlers “ of that day were in the a palacian mountain.

By 1.854, the United States had acquired teh western part of the country by purchase
and by treaty. This region had been unified politically, and there were about as many people
leaving west of the a palacians as east of them. At that time, people seriously believed that
the task of settling and developing the country would require at least 500 years, and perhapse
as long as 2.000.

The speed with which it actually whose settled in one of the most exciting stories in
american story. Waitng the space of a single lifetime, fast expenses of forest and prairies
were converted into farms and industrial cities.

At first, the settlers pushed westward in thin line, along delivers ; then they began to
fill the intervening spaces throughout the middle of the country. And then, dramatically, the
movement of population jumped to the pacific.

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1.2 Keunggulan

1. Pada buku terdapat peta wilayah amerika dengan deskripsi ketinggian sehingga
mempermudah pembaca untuk memahami

2. Terdapat juga peta sungai

3. Isi buku menarik dengan gambar-gambar yang dapat membuat pembaca bisa membaca
sekaligus membayangkan wilayah (permukaan) amerika

1.3 Kelemahan

1. Masih kurangnya tata bahasa seperti penulisan “ it’s “ dibuku ditulis “ it is “ dan juga
“didn’t“ ditulis di buku “ did not “

2. tata bahasa kemajemukan masih kurang dan menurut saya mempersulit semisal membuat
pegunungan “ mountains “ (dibuku) setau saya harusnya mountain’s agar lebih
mempermudah pembaca dan memperenek visual pembaca.

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 BAB II

2.1 Implikasi

Menurut saya pada buku yang saya baca ini tak terdapat implikasi terhadap pembangunan
bangsa karena di buku ini hanya menjelaskan demografi atau bentang alam america seperti
sungai, gunung dan gurun. Jadi dibuku ini hanya menjabarkan atau mendeskripsikan
“bagaimana sih amerika itu?”.

2.2 Kesimpulan

Pada buku yang berjudul “AN OUTLINE OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY ” ini membahas
mengenai bentang alam amerika seperti gunung, sungai, gurun, pantai, suku serta bentang
alam amerika lainnya.

2.3 Saran

1. Tata bahasa agar diperbaiki sedikit lagi.

2.4 Kepustakaan

BOOK TITLE : AN OUTLINE OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY

BOOK FIELD : 128 PAGE’S

Mittleman, Earl N., April 4 1996, “ AN OUTLINE OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY “ New

York.